Top 10 sci-fi film masterpieces of the past century

Collider published a ranking of the 10 greatest sci‑fi movie masterpieces of the last 100 years on Jan 24, 2026, 10:20 PM EST.

The list runs from 10: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) through 1: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Other entries include Interstellar (9), The Thing (8), Metropolis (7), Alien (6), Back to the Future (5), Blade Runner (4), The Matrix (3), and The Empire Strikes Back (2).

The piece highlights a range of films from intimate dramas to sprawling blockbusters and describes 2001 as the defining sci‑fi masterpiece, noting its release date as April 10, 1968; runtime 149 minutes; director Stanley Kubrick; writers Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke; and actors Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood. It also notes that narrowing the genre to just 10 films is near‑impossible and presents this selection as among the most celebrated and influential sci‑fi works of the past century.

Key Topics

Culture, A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, The Matrix, Metropolis, Interstellar